The National Book Foundation recently revealed the 24 finalists for the 2018 National Book Awards!

Roxanne highlights some of her favorite titles from the longlist which feature five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. The competitive category of Translated Literature hasn’t been awarded since 1983.

The 2018 National Book Awards Winners will be announced on November 14th.

What is your reaction when you hear of a marriage breaking up? Are you shocked or did you know it was coming? In John Jay Osborne Jr.’s new novel, Listen to the Marriage we are introduced to a couple who seemed to be destined for divorce.

Steve’s numerous affairs and focus on work have finally pushed his wife Gretchen to take the children and move out, but in a last minute attempt to salvage their union, they begin weekly sessions with Sandy, an unconventional therapist. Told through the therapist’s eyes, we see the couple both confront and skirt issues that have torn them apart.

The former screenwriter and legal professor joined Roxanne to talk about his first novel in 37 years, his decade of experience writing in Hollywood, and how his own marriage counseling 35 years ago helped him “understand my wife for the first time”.

This week is Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Across the country there are discussions about schools, libraries, and communities banning books for their incendiary content. They shockingly include books like The Color Purple and A Wrinkle in Time, among many other titles.

Roxanne says “Its important for us to take this time and understand how inappropriate it is to ban books and we need to become engaged if we run into a school or a library or a set of circumstances that’s wants to do that…”

What is the book that most surprised you or the book that you think should be banned? Write to us at [email protected]

When was the last time you found yourself doing nothing or sitting in quiet contemplation or simply looking out the window? Most of us think nothing of scrolling through social media while talking to a friend on the phone, or answering emails and texts while in a meeting. While this may seem productive and make us feel that we are excellent multi-taskers, it might not be good for us.

Alan Lightman is a physicist, novelist, and essayist who believes we are losing ourselves in the digital network and builds a case that the overload of Information and distraction from technology is making us less productive.

The MIT professor who has been described as the “poet laureate of science writers” joined Roxanne to discuss his latest book In Praise of Wasting Time. Lightman believes we need a mental attitude that values and protects stillness, privacy, solitude, and personal reflection, or at the very least, a half an hour a day to “waste time”.

We hope this conversation helps you unplug…but don’t put down whatever device you’re using to listen to this podcast just yet!

It’s been called the “Rotten Tomatoes” of books reviews. We were delighted to welcome Dan Sheehan, the Bookmark’s editor at Literary Hubto discuss what books are hot right now, and his debut novel, Restless Souls.

Also in this episode, we welcome back the creator of the popular blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and the podcast What Should I Read Next?, Anne Bogel. Anne spoke to Roxanne about her latest book I’d Rather Be Reading, her experience as a bookseller…for a day, and what books she is currently loving!

Here’s something to talk about at your next book club! BookTrib.com‘s new deal with the Girly Book Club sends four books from select publishers to 50 U.S. book clubs every month. BookTrib’s Jim Alkon describes the four titles in the program’s inaugural package.

Looking for more books to add to your TBR pile?! Here at JTRBPodcast, we are pleased to have such amazing & knowledgeable friends on our show to share what they are reading and loving! During this special episode, we revisit some of our favorite book experts.

Want to get more done without sacrificing what you care about most? Last spring Charles Duhigg joined us to talk about his latest book, “Smarter Faster, Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.” “People often get tied up in being busy, rather than being productive,” says Duhigg.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, Harvard Business School and Yale graduate is also the author of “The Power of Habit,” which has spent over two years on the New York Times best-seller list.

Also in this episode, we hear from Cathy Langer, the director of buying at the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver Colorado for our segment, “What’s on the Front Table.”